Posts tagged with 'Trademarks'

The Walt Disney Company has recently filed multiple trademark applications for something titled ‘Disney Princess: Beginnings.’ Unfortunately, as documented below, the applications are wide and varied so it’s not entirely clear what the campaign will be and who it will be for: whether the Beginnings in the title refers to the beginnings of each princess (be it origin story or infant/toddler timeline) or simply more for its intended audience, which appears to be anyone but infants and toddlers.

Marvel recently filed a trademark application for ‘Guardians of Infinity,’ for purposes it describes as ‘comic books; printed periodicals in the field of comic book stories and artwork.’ A cursory Google search failed to show anything remotely close to that title save for a completely unrelated computer game from the 190s in which the objective was to save President Kennedy from assassination — obviously.

What’s good for the goose is good for the gander, or rather what’s good for the mouse is good for the dead mouse. So sayeth Joel Zimmerman /aka/ Deadmau5.

Although he had no shortage of words for Disney on his Twitter account in response to Disney’s move to block his trademark registration, he and his lawyers upped the ante earlier today by serving a cease and desist letter to Disney Interactive, claiming they were engaging in both copyright and trademark infringement.

In a whopping 171-page complaint, the Walt Disney Company earlier today filed a ‘Notice of Opposition’ of trademark registration against Ronica Holdings, the corporate identity responsible for staking claim to the logo for the music artist, Deadmau5 (pronounced: Dead Mouse). First reported by Stitch Kingdom back in March, Ronica Holdings now has 40 days to respond to Disney’s claim.

Pictured left are just some of the logos cited in the notice which Disney feels demonstrates their hold on the three — sometimes ‘incomplete’ — circles that compose the silhouette of a mouse head.

We have done our fair share of trademark watching when it comes to The Walt Disney Company, and that includes disputes that arise over them as well, whichever side of the issue Disney happens to be on. Because trademark ownership requires companies take action when they feel their trademarks are potentially infringed upon, we tend to chalk most of them up to business as usual and ignore them. Sometimes we don’t. The vast majority of disputes are also usually over words. Don’t — for example — attempt to trademark anything with the word Monster in it unless you enjoy raging legal battles.

One might imagine it should not be too difficult for one describe the infamous Wicked Witch of the West from L. Frank Baum’s iconic Oz series, beginning with The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. In fact, one could probably close one’s eyes and simultaneously click one’s heels three times whilst describing her to a T. Whether it’s Theodora from Disney’s Oz the Great and Powerful or Elphaba from Gregory Maguire’s Wicked series/Broadway musical, one would instantly recognize the Wicked Witch by her green flesh, pointy black hat and broomstick upon which she travels. Her green complexion is so identifiable with her, that it’s even a significant plot device in Maguire’s books.